I clicked on a link in an email from a medical person. The link was to a company called Holosync, which was willing to mail me a CD so I could try their product. It sounded interesting and potentially helpful, so I signed up. I was so eager to try it I wished they had an immediate download – I didn’t want to wait for it to come in the mail.

When I tell you what was going on in my life, you’ll understand why.

I Was a Mess

Diabetes and depression go together, and I was no exception. My depression hit like a freight train a couple of years before I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. There was no apparent reason (at least no reason I understood at the time), as my life was going pretty well.

I realized something was seriously wrong and dragged myself to the doctor. She was so concerned she threatened to hospitalize me, and it took all I had to convince her I wasn’t a danger to myself. But she did prescribe something, an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) called Effexor.

Within about three days of starting the meds, I felt there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, and after a couple weeks the depression was pretty much gone.

Obviously, it had been totally chemical in nature and not psychological. Phew! I felt as if I’d dodged a bullet.

I also gained about 20 pounds in just a few months … along with some other side effects.

Fast forward a couple of years to my diabetes diagnosis … I learned enough to keep my glucose in check through diet and exercise alone, but I was still fat and sick and tired.

Then a few more years. I was working with a holistic doctor to eliminate the underlying causes of my diabesity. We were making progress and had eliminated wheat, gluten and a few other things from my diet. I was feeling much better, and there were days when I actually had some energy.

I told her I wanted to get off the Effexor, and she sent me to the lab to measure my serotonin levels. While we waited for the results, I started taking tryptophan because I knew the serotonin levels had to come up. The only question was how much.

Then the axe fell.

March 2, 2009 I came into the office late because of an appointment, and found my boss and co-workers huddled in the boss’ office looking grim.

Our jobs were gone, part of the financial meltdown. Boom.

If ever there was a time to take antidepressants, this was it. If ever there was a time I couldn’t afford to pay for them, this was it.

Like I said, I was a mess.

The Weaning Process

I started cutting down the amount of Effexor I was taking. I had done some online research and discovered that this is probably the SSRI with the most and worst withdrawal symptoms. The solution was a slow weaning process.

I gradually reduced the dosage while continuing to take tryptophan. I was also trying to get adequate sleep, which is absolutely necessary to normalize serotonin levels.

I didn’t have too much trouble until I got down to about ¼ dose. I experienced some very unpleasant withdrawal side effects at that point, but I persevered because I couldn’t afford to refill the prescription.

Finally I was off it altogether. I was barely functioning. I found myself getting angry or crying at the drop of a hat, I felt dizzy and my thinking was pretty muddy.

The best way I can describe how I felt is to compare it to a damaged electrical cord. When you have a normal electrical cord you can touch it with no problem.

But what happens if the rubber insulation is stripped away and the bare wires are exposed? When you touch that wire, you create sparks.

I felt like that uninsulated wire, and everything that touched me made sparks.

Enter Entrainment

So there I was, Spark Lady, when my CD arrived in the mail.

I slammed it into my computer, jammed my headphones on and tried to get comfortable. The sample was about 20 minutes long.

I had expected to hear some kind of rhythmic thing, jungle drums maybe. Instead I heard an uninspiring soundtrack with a soothing voiceover extolling the wonders of entrainment in general and that company’s products in particular. I didn’t hear any binaural beats. (I’ve learned since that they’re at such a low frequency we often don’t hear them, but that’s information for another post.)

By the time the CD finished, I felt relaxed for the first time in weeks.

Wow! Maybe there was something in this binaural beat business after all.

I had researched entrainment and meditation while waiting for the sample to arrive, and had decided I wasn’t going to do business with Holosync. There were just too many complaints about their relentless marketing and their high prices.

There are a lot of entrainment products to choose from. Google “entrainment” and you’ll come up with about 1.5 million results. Search for “entrainment products” and you’ll see a mere 350,000 results.

I found a company called Holothink that offered a three CD set for a very reasonable price, as well as a free sample for immediate download. I tried it, liked it, bought it and had the three CD set downloaded within minutes.
Their website includes worthwhile information and a user forum and they’ve recently added a membership component to their offerings where, for a monthly fee, you have access to many more downloads.

Entrainment Changed Me from Spark Lady to Calm Lady

Over the next few weeks, when I felt myself “sparking,” I’d grab my iPod and headphones and find a quiet corner. The first few times I listened to the full 45-minute session I relaxed so completely I fell asleep – a wonderful, deep, soul-refreshing sleep I badly needed.

After just a few days of entrainment, I felt as though I had a thin layer of insulation protecting me from all those sparks. After a few weeks, I felt calm and peaceful most of the time. When something did get through and touch me on the raw, I was able to respond more gracefully and appropriately.

Gradually I found myself becoming calmer, more centered.

I’ve been listening to entrainment tracks for about 10 months now. During this time, here are just a few of the benefits I (and my family!) have enjoyed:

I sleep better

I’m more relaxed

I’m calmer

I’m better able to step back from a situation instead of just reacting to it

I can focus better

I laugh more

Weirdest of all – my mostly silver hair is getting darker.

I suspect I’d also find various hormones are at better levels, although I haven’t been able to test for it.

Research shows that entrainment provides the same physical benefits for you as deep Zen meditation. These include:

Stress reduction

Relaxation

Visualization

Peak Concentration

Enhanced Memory

Enhanced Learning Ability

Better quality sleep

Better blood pressure control

Reduced insulin resistance

Improved heart rate

You don’t have to be a mess like I was to benefit from entrainment. Most or all of these benefits are tied in to various hormones, so if you’re trying to normalize your hormone levels to combat diabesity, entrainment can be a powerful tool.

If you’re already involved in meditation and it’s working for you, don’t stop. But if you’re not, entrainment is an easy way to enjoy those benefits and to help you overcome your diabesity faster.

Thanks for the suggestion, going to give the sample a try. I’m a big fan of meditation. Maybe something like entrainment will help me be more consistent. Did your holistic doc do an adrenal stress hormone profile before you began the zen meditation entrainment practice? If so would be interesting to see what the before and after results were. Bet they’ve improved.

Deb, let me know how it works for you? My doc did lots of testing, but I didn’t start entrainment until about 4 months after my job and medical insurance melted away, so I’ve had no $$ for tests since. I would love to see the changes, but will have to wait a bit longer to afford it. (Just another reason to reverse this diabesity — who can afford to be sick these days in this country?) 🙂